IT Can’t Ignore the Video Surveillance Data Explosion

I have a stake in this story as I have had to install and manage a number of security cameras as lecture capture cameras. I have all these same concerns myself even though technically it’s not security video but on request lectures being video captured during a class.

IT professionals are simultaneously being pulled in multiple directions. For most, data center management is more like triage than a well-engineered series of processes. As a result, IT managers and CIOs are very careful about which projects they “own”, which ones they advise on, and which ones they ignore. One project that is sure to cross the IT desk is storing and maintaining video surveillance data. While it may not be on the top of their list, IT could provide tremendous value to the organization if they were to own this particular project.

The Problems

Technology is revolutionizing video surveillance, overwhelming the existing infrastructure and expanding its use far beyond the original security purpose. High-resolution cameras are just one example of this technology advancement. Thanks to wireless connectivity and low cost, they can be easily deployed in large numbers. The problem is that the video they capture can be transferred…